Tip of the day suggestion

**dudelsack** · 20 April 2008, 10:47 AM

Moderator...feel free to move this to the correct thread, if needed.

A small suggestion:
I am one of those that just doesn't get to use the software that often and I have found that the "Tips" window pops up at the start of the program, and this is good. There are a lot of good bits of info in there. I'm, though, one of those that has never the patience to click through each one and read, and remember. Main point. Remember. So if in the middle of a project, I know there was some tip I would like to look at, there is no way to really get into the list of tips and quickly get to the info. I'd like to see a button that would give you a dropdown of key words and direct you towards that tip you saw once back when. Or to simply scroll though the tips with the mouse wheel. I'd like to see a feature, that would allow you to add to this library of tips. Tips that you found out yourself and want to note down and save. Then the ability to upload your good tip, onto the web, where Xara could view and select good tips and post them for download, so others could install them into their own libraries. They update and add to the movies, why not tips?

Xara is the only software I have always updated, and I will be doing the version 4 today...but as a fairly unlearned member of the community, I need the tips...so perhaps this feature could be added sometime soon.

**gwpriester** · 20 April 2008, 02:24 PM

Good point.

One thing to remember however is that Xara is one of the most helpful applications around. What I mean is this. If you have selected the Shape Editor Tool, for example, and can't remember how to add a new control point, press F1 (Help) and the Help menu opens with the Shape Editor Tool page.

If you are exporting a GIF and forget how to limit the colors or how to make the background transparent, press Help in the Export dialog, and you will get a context sensitive help for that function.

All Xara's dialogs work this way.

So, you can consider this, the tip of the day. Everyday.

Gary

**dudelsack** · 20 April 2008, 07:56 PM

Thank you Gary...I will give it a try.

I still hope they put some kind of feature as suggested in the next version, though. To page through the Tips one after another before opening a project up and getting down to work...it just doesn't happen. Who has the patience. And if you run into some tip you'd like to try...great, but if you are busy with other things, it will get put off till you have forgotten it. To then find it again...lord the patience of Job is needed to go clicking on one "Next tip" after another until you find it. Rather have a drop-down available. Then, they will get looked at. Even better when ideas from others are added periodically. NO "help" will come up with some of the tips that would be offered, if users knew the info wouldn't just be lost in the threads and forums somewhere, and actually end up in everyone's tip library for all to see and use. Add a "credit" line to their tips and it would be a hot item.
Thanks for the help...and patience for my daydreaming...

**raynerj1** · 21 April 2008, 05:29 AM

There is the tips and tricks section of the forum, and there is also the tips and tricks scetion at the xone.

You can always press help=>"tip of the day" also.

**dudelsack** · 21 April 2008, 09:16 AM

Thanks for the suggestion.

All this still doesn't solve the fact that the tips won't get used, if you can't scan quickly through them to find what you want fast. No one will take the time to click one after another open and read it. And if read...wonderful, but you won't need 99% of them right then and there, so you will forget them and never use them. Better to have the ability to go into the list and look when you need to. When some little voice says to you..."I saw that somewhere...". So then you look in the tips.
The way it is now...is user unfriendly. Period. I'm not the powers that be, and those responsible have to decide such things...but why have some "bloat" that isn't even usable in the program. If the tips just get clicked immediately off when you open the program, cause you have work to do...then you will never get curious enough to look through them all. Or even read the featured one when it pops up. Too time consuming. Just like the way I'm carrying on about it now. So...I will call quits on it and get out of your hair. If they want to make the program more user friendly...they'll change it.
Peace!

**handrawn** · 21 April 2008, 10:41 AM

Being the nerdish blend of curiosity and pedantry that I am I paged through a fair section of the tips and screen captured and collated them for reference a while back with my first version: xara X

Didn't take that long as I recall.....

**dudelsack** · 21 April 2008, 10:57 AM

But why should you have to do this...when the good tips could be added to the list/library so no user would have to go to the trouble you did, and print them out or put them in a file? Why...when it could be done the right way with a bit of programming...an hours work?

My view on this doesn't have to be correct...true. But as far as making the program more comfortable to work with, I think I have a point. It is something that has jumped into my eye every time I open the program for the last years...so tempting to just shut the foolish tip window off and be done with it. When I need something, I have to page through the windows...awful...and correctable. Enough said. They will do what they want...not worth fighting over...Have a fine day!!!!

**dogbertbh** · 23 April 2008, 08:31 PM

Is anyone else getting the irony of these posts?

**handrawn** · 23 April 2008, 08:37 PM

l

**dudelsack** · 24 April 2008, 06:47 AM

The word irony, can be defined, so and so...

http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-b...onary&va=Irony

I think you might be using the word incorrectly. The fact that others don't seem to think in the same direction as I do, is to me apparent and actually, no problem. They have their ways of dealing with a small shortcoming in the program and seem to be satisfied with the status quo. And admittedly, it is only a small shortcoming. The program in general is getting better and more usable with each version. So my idea doesn't in the least have an influence on whether the program can be used to make impressive artwork. My idea revolves around a bit of user-friendliness, more not. So it's not really that important.

And that's fine. The world doesn't turn on my ideas. The question of whether I had a good idea or not, is naturally though, debatable and there have been suggested a few different ways to get around it...but I bet, if the Tips got put in the program as suggested, it would be used by every last one of you. That, is my definition of ironic. That those who find humor in the idea, would be the first to use it if it were built into the program.

But..all this is at this point, immaterial. Main point should be getting off this subject and getting something constructive accomplished today...agreed?

Peace.

PS...Moderator, if this thread has, as I sense, become rather less than relevant to the spirit of the forum, feel free to nuke it. Please.